Before listing a home for sale in the Lilly Creek subdivision of Menomonee Falls, call for a free analysis of current market conditions in your area, featuring a current list of homes on the market, and homes that have recently sold.

You will also receive information on effective, fair, and honest advertising. Learn about marketing strategies and why it is important to have a marketing plan before listing your home.

Marketing

Marketing may be defined as:

1. The act or process of buying and selling in a market.

2. The commercial functions involved in transferring goods from producer to consumer.

My concept of marketing goes beyond the common definitions found in a dictionary. Experience has taught me one valuable lesson. Methods used three years ago in a Seller's market are not as successful in today's buyers market.

Marketing needs to have a life of its own. It has to be flexible to meet current trends and demands. Marketing needs a goal and a list of processes to obtain that goal.

Following is a list of marketing strategies used to articulate a successful plan.

• Plan your marketing before listing your home

This may seem like common sense, but most people cannot show you written marketing plan when asked to produce one. Ask the question, "what happens when your initial three step process fails to produce the required results?"

• A calendar should remind you of more than just the date

Does your agent use a calendar to track important goals, appointments, dates, and other information regarding the sale of your home? Do you receive e-mail alerts and updates?

• Know your market, see the competition

If a picture paints 1000 words, imagine the information you will obtain when personally viewing the scene. Take the guess work out of negotiations. Potential buyers will be viewing every home in the neighborhood before reaching a decision. Be prepared by viewing every one of your competitors yourself.

• How raising your price in a bad market helps to sell your home

I've heard the story 100 times. An agent takes a listing, promising they have the ability to get more money for your home than anyone else. This is the oldest sales trick in the book. After signing the contract, the agent begins a regiment of price reductions. That is the extent of their marketing plan. But lowering the price may not be all it takes to attract a buyer. Many more methods exist for those who take the time to study market conditions on a case by case basis.

• Keep your pictures current

What type of message do you receive from a listing with outdated or out of season pictures? There is a foot of snow on the ground and the picture on your listing shows green grass and green leaves on the tree. Every buyer will instantly realize, this property has been on the market for quite some time.

• Update paperwork

  Updating pictures is not your only concern. Outdated paperwork can provide a buyer with a bargaining chip you may not want to supply.

   

• A new description creates a net for buyers

  Changing the description or refining the details of your listing can remind potential buyers your home is still available.

   

• Using the Internet

  Knowing how to use the correct key words is the secret to using the Internet to sell your home. Load the key words in the wrong way and the Internet search engines will send your listing to the end of the list faster than the weather can change in Wisconsin. Using the Internet to sell a home has become much easier and popular over the past few years, hence there is more competition. It has become more difficult to become noticed. Few people take to the time to read and study the information offered for free by the major search engine companies. If these rules and guidelines are followed, ratings will be high. If not, the Internet highway will quickly turn to a wasteland.

   

• Your friends and neighbors may already know the buyer for your home.
   
• How to network with businesses to attract buyers
   
• How to negotiate before an offer is written

   

  Please contact me for a complete detailed, written explanation of each of these steps. Marketing a home is much more than taking an order, placing it on the MLS (Multiple Listing Service), setting a sign in the front yard, and hoping the property sells.

   

  Call 414-426-1784 for more information.